Tangible impact of patient communication modules on medical students and interns

The objective of this study was to ascertain the perceptible qualitative influence of the modules in communication in the AETCOM course and to obtain feedback on its implementation. In this cross-sectional study, the attitude of medical students in all stages of training including internship was first explored using a Communication Skills Attitude Scale (CSAS). Out of 27 modules in AETCOM course, five modules named foundations of communication deal with communication and they are taught from the first to final professional years of training. After introducing communication modules in AETCOM for all professional years, feedback was collected from interns who had completed training in all modules. The interns provided feedback with a validated scale and two focused group discussions. Additionally, feedback from faculty involved in teaching AETCOM was analyzed. There was a significant increase in the positive attitude scores in the final year and internship compared to the first year. Eighty percent of the interns agreed that communication modules in AETCOM were useful and that it equipped them with the communication skills required for actual practice during internship. Faculty agreed that these modules motivated the students to acquire communication skills. However, faculty also felt that these modules alone may not be sufficient to learn communication skills.PMID:38059281 | DOI:10.1152/advan.00092.2023
Source: Adv Physiol Educ - Category: Universities & Medical Training Authors: Source Type: research